Torso And Mrs. Lonelyhearts In Cornell Woolrich's Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock, director and producer of Rear Window, drew his idea for the film from Cornell Woolrich’s short story, “It Had to Be Murder.” He also drew inspiration from 1950s American culture, such as Americans’ suspicion of others during the Cold War era, the overall impending fear of communism, and women’s gender roles. Rear Window predominantly focuses on female objectification and the male gaze through the POV of the subjectively perverted L.B. Jeffries.

Hitchcock opens up the movie with a pan shot, where the viewer is introduced to who will soon be called Ms.Torso and Ms.Lonelyhearts. The two women, who are currently living alone, represent two different single lifestyles. Mr.Torso, who is a beautiful blonde dancer, is constantly surrounded by men. In contrast, Ms.Lonelyhearts does not have any male admirers; thus, she is very depressed and is often crying or drinking. Ms.Lonelyhearts is only able to get out of her depression once she meets a potential lover, the man across the street. Since the 50s was such a male-centric society, one can’t blame Mr.Torso for basing her self worth on a lack of a relationship. While there is most likely

Mrs.Thorwald is sick and is constantly needing attention from Mr.Thorwald; as a result, Mr.Thorwald murders her. In 1950s society, women were the ones that were supposed to provide for their men at home, not the other way around. Hitchcock handles the murder in a peculiar way, painting Mr.Thorwald as a seemingly normal person and only providing one reason for Thorwald’s decision to murder his wife: the fact that she is sick and useless to him. Similarly, the newly-wed couple has the same relationship dynamic. The wife, who is never given a name, is constantly calling her husband Harry back to bed. Hitchcock uses a medium shot to capture Harry’s tired and frustrated